Can we design a pensions system that works for everyone? (original) (raw)

Putting theories into practice

Academics commonly live somewhat nomadic lifestyles, their job can take them to far away, exotic places. Diamond and his wife, Kate Myrick, got a taste of academic wanderlust during his sabbatical years in Nairobi, Tel Aviv and Cambridge. Since that time, they chose to settle in the Boston area which they now call home. "Home is where I want to come back to, where I unwind and connect, not just with family but with my sense of the world, because then I can step back and think about things," he says.

Having a strong connection to home and family has helped Diamond excel in academics and policy formations, as well as granting him the opportunity to contribute to his own community. He and his wife have both been elected to the local legislature where they live. As a public finance economist, Diamond had a good grasp of the basics of public finances and he ran a successful campaign to increase tax revenue to meet the town’s budget.

When it was time for his second term, he chose an unorthodox message to appeal to voters in his small constituency. “When I was running for election after my wife had been elected,” he says. “I said to the voters that if you care about family values, they should vote for me because that would mean I would be with my wife, and that's a very serious family value.”

The laureate only half-jokes, revealing that admirable ability not to take himself too seriously.